The Black Knight of Ashfern

Chapter 22

Nan had just opened the kitchen door when she heard Mrs. Baringer's loud and surprisingly angry voice reprimand a maid. At the same time, it seemed the house's staff was being addressed about the gossip the girl had been caught spreading.

 Nan, not immune to the effects of gossip but not one to spread it herself, stayed just inside the door, where she could listen to Mrs. Baringer's lecture but not be seen doing so. She found herself very interested in knowing what the gossip was and whether it was the gossiping that had prompted Mrs. Baringer's disapproval or its contents.

"But it's not gossip!" The maid protested. "I saw her with my own eyes, Mrs. Baringer!"

"I've no doubt what you saw, Lizzy," Mrs. Baringer replied, her tone less severe. "But I don't care for you spreading news of it to the whole house," she added, her voice still thick with disapproval.

"Which is why we are speaking to all of you now." Mr. Baringer's voice rang out, much to Nan's surprise.

"What you saw, Lizzy. What any of you see in this house from now on, though I had not thought I would need to say this." Mr. Baringer addressed the rest of the staff, "Is not our place to speak of. You all know quite well what Sir William was like before Miss Harris' arrival. Are you all so eager to return to it? And what if Sir William overhears one of you speaking of Miss Harris in such a manner? He will not take you aside as we are doing now. He'll dismiss you flat out, with no reference for your next employer, and you'll have to go well beyond five counties before you can find one that will have you. And I doubt they will pay you as generously as what has been given here. What goes on between Sir William and Miss Harris stays within the walls of this house. If I find that any tongues have been wagging from this end, it will not be me who deals with you. It will be Sir William himself. I have already issued your first warning. There will not be a second." Mr. Baringer declared, his tone allowing for no questions on the matter.

"Is all of this understood?" Mrs. Baringer asked in a voice similar to her husband's. She was greeted almost instantly with a chorus of 'Aye, Ma'am's' and 'Yes, Ma'am's.' "Good. Now, see to your duties. This house does not run itself," she instructed.

When Nan heard the others' movements, she stepped from her hiding spot and into the kitchen. She painted a warm smile on her face with little difficulty, as though she hadn't just heard Sir William's Butler and Housekeeper telling the staff to keep their collective mouths shut concerning what they had seen or heard of her and Sir William's... relationship.

The whole house seemed to tense and freeze at Nan's smiling face. And she wondered for a moment what fears were running through their heads. If they thought her cruel enough to inform Sir William of what she had heard or wicked enough to keep the knowledge to herself and run them ragged with fear of the lies she might concoct about them to tell Sir William. Luckily for them, Nan did not care much for cruelty and could not stand such wicked games. She understood the Baringer's motives for protecting their employer or, more likely, the staff he employed. She'd not fault them for wanting to keep peace in the house, which was their joint livelihood.

"Good morning everyone." Nan greeted pleasantly, choosing to dismiss what she had heard. "Did I interrupt your meeting?" she questioned, looking over their stunned faces as they took her in with a mixture of panic and dread.

"No, Ma'am! We've just finished." Mrs. Baringer smiled back, though her voice had a slight tone of worry that Nan was hard-pressed to miss, given the topic of their meeting. "Is there something we can help you with?" she asked quickly, waving to those still standing about.

"I was wondering if I might have a spot for breakfast," Nan replied easily.

"You'll not be eating with Sir William this morning, Ma'am?" the cook asked, looking confused as Nan had taken breakfast with Sir William, whether he was up to the meal or not every morning since she had come to Stonebrook, though over the last few months, she had hardly shared a meal with him at all, as he appeared only long enough to greet her and then vanish for the rest of the day.